Exclusive Halo Anniversary pre-order bonuses revealed

Are Master Chief Avatar armor and a special Skull mod enough to get you to buy Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary early?

Microsoft has announced the pre-order bonuses for its upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and they might be must haves if you're a big enough fan. The first digital goodie is a Grunt Funeral Skull which, when equipped,causes dead grunts to explode like plasma grenades. Given that grunts tend to travel in large packs, expect a large increasein carnage, cartoony screamingand blue explosions.Here's a look at the Skull in action:

The second bonus is some custom threads for your Xbox Live Avatar, specifically some Space Marine armor you might recognize. That's right, now you can dress your big headed Avatar up as the Chief himself. Laugh mightily as your XBL friends gaze with envy upon your glowing majesty, covered in the hallowed threads of John-117:

Above: Majesty of Master Chief armor not to scale

Despite the announcement, there's been no talk of specific retailers that are participating in this pre-order exclusive, so make sure to double check with your preferredstore before committing. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary arrives November 15 and will sell for the relatively cheap $39.99